Spring 2022 Vaccine Requirements
Spring 2022 College Vaccine Requirements and Submitting Proof
All students, faculty and staff must meet Barnard’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements, which means that they have been fully vaccinated and, when eligible, boosted.
All students, faculty and staff are also required to get a flu vaccine.
Getting these required vaccines, or having an approved medical or religious exemption, is part of the Barnard Community Commitment and Personal Responsibility Pledge. Members of the College community who are vaccinated must continue to comply with all of Barnard’s COVID-19 policies because vaccination does not exempt anyone from College coronavirus protocols.
How to submit documentation
- COVID-19 vaccine and booster:
- Community members must comply with the College’s COVID-19 booster requirement by uploading their documentation as soon as they are eligible, with an initial deadline of January 10, 2022, for everyone eligible at that point. (Students who were vaccinated at PCHS do not need to take any further action).
- Community members who are eligible after January 10 must get their booster and upload their documentation as soon as they are eligible as defined by CDC guidelines
- Documentation should be uploaded into Open Communicator as an additional dose of a COVID-19 vaccination series as per these instructions.
- Flu Vaccine:
- Students must comply with the College’s flu vaccine requirement by uploading their documentation by January 10, 2022, as per these instructions. (Students who were vaccinated at PCHS do not need to take any further action.)
- Faculty and staff do not need to upload documentation, but they should save their documentation wherever possible for future reference.
Community members should contact their healthcare providers with any questions specific to their personal circumstances. Questions about the College’s policies and procedures can be directed to vaccine@barnard.edu.
How to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster
Eligibility
The College follows CDC guidance to determine eligibility for the COVID-19 booster: everyone ages 12 and older can get a booster shot. If you’re unsure of when you will be eligible, you can calculate your eligibility here.
- Please note that as of January 7 2022, the CDC updated eligibility that people vaccinated with two doses of either a Pfizer vaccine or a Moderna vaccine can receive an mRNA booster after 5 months. Future updates to eligibility will be communicated on this site.
- People who have received your initial doses of vaccination series outside of the United States with WHO-listed vaccines are eligible for a Pfizer booster vaccination six months after their second dose, as per these CDC guidelines.
- If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19, you should wait until you are out of isolation and your symptoms have resolved to get a booster. In consultation with the College’s infectious disease experts at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Dr. Marina Catallozzi, Vice President of Health and Wellness & Chief Health Officer, has set the following adjusted requirement for community members who have recently tested positive for COVID-19: unless they received monoclonal antibody or convalescent plasma treatment, they should be boosted as early as 10 days after (if they are back to their baseline health) and within 4 weeks from the positive test date.
How to Get Boosted
People 18 years or older may choose which COVID-19 vaccine they receive as a booster shot. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
You can get a booster shot anywhere that offers the brand of vaccine you want.
- Most NYC-run vaccine sites are now accepting walk-ins of any eligible age.
- The New York State and City websites also provide location listings.
- For locations outside of New York, enter your zip code on the Vaccines.gov webpage.
- There are hotlines that may be used to locate a nearby vaccination appointment:
- NYC: (877) VAX-4NYC (1-877-829-4692)
- NYS: (833) NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829)
- Anywhere in the US: 1-800-232-0233
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Barnard requires all community members to receive all doses of any WHO-listed COVID-19 vaccine, which includes all three FDA-authorized vaccines administered in the US, or to have an approved medical or religious exemption.
The College defines community members as being “fully vaccinated” when it is 14 days after their final dose of a WHO-listed vaccine, in alignment with CDC guidance.
How to Submit Documentation
Documentation should be uploaded into Open Communicator as per these instructions.
How to Get Vaccinated
The resources listed in the “How to Get Boosted” section above are also available for anyone who needs to complete their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Flu Vaccine Information
How to Submit Documentation (Students only)
Documentation should be uploaded into Open Communicator as per these instructions. Students who were vaccinated at PCHS do not need to take any further action.
How to Get a Flu Vaccination
- Everyone ages 6 mos and older can get a flu shot.
- Flu vaccines can be administered at the same time as COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters.
- Appointments are not required. To find a vaccination site near you, you can use New York City’s Vaccine Finder or the Vaccine.gov webpage.
Vaccine FAQs
We are only requiring students, staff and faculty who are eligible for their booster to receive their booster dose by January 10; community members who are eligible after January 10 must get their booster and upload their documentation as soon as they are eligible as defined by CDC guidelines.
If you have difficulty uploading your vaccine documentation due to technical difficulties, you will be able to come to the College’s Testing Center with your documentation in order to obtain assistance in uploading your documentation. You will be able to visit the Testing Center when it is open for assistance, and Testing Coordinators will be able to assist you.
Eligible community members should complete the appropriate form to notify the College that they are unable to upload their documentation for any reason:
- Incomplete Vaccination Form for Boosters (to be completed only if you’re eligible)
- Incomplete Vaccine Requirement Status Form (for the initial series)
- Incomplete Vaccination Form for Flu Vaccination (for students only)
You should contact either the healthcare provider or vaccination site where you received your vaccination to ask for documentation. If you received it from a pharmacy, you may be able to find it online through past prescriptions. If you were asked for insurance information at the time of your vaccination, you may be able to contact your insurance provider for documentation of your vaccination as well.
- You can also use this CDC resource to locate your records through local resources.
- For individuals who received their vaccine in New York State (but outside of New York City), you can contact the New York State Immunization information System using the following information. Barnard accepts screenshots of the Excelsior Pass Plus, which shows the dates and types of the vaccine.
- Phone: 518-473-4437
- Website: New York State Immunization Information System
- Email: nysiis@health.ny.gov
- For individuals who received their vaccine in New York City, you can contact the New York City Citywide Immunization Registry using the following information:
- Phone: 347-396-2400
- Website: New York City Citywide Immunization Registry
- Email: CIR@health.nyc.gov
*Note: if you received one dose of the COVID vaccine in one state and your second dose or booster dose in another state, your local health department may not be able to provide you with full documentation of your COVID vaccination.*
Community members interested in applying for a medical or religious exemption for any of the College’s vaccine requirements should email vaccine@barnard.edu.
Under New York State law, employees can take paid time off from their regularly scheduled work hours to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees may take up to four hours of paid leave at their regular rate of pay for each dose. This time will not be charged against other sick leave entitlement for staff, including New York State Paid COVID-19 Leave.
To use this COVID-19 vaccine leave, staff in TWU Local 264, Local 2110 Access Attendants and 32BJ should let their manager know so that the time can be appropriately entered. For staff who use Timesaver, please enter this time using the new code "BC19 COVID-19 Vaccination."
You will not know who is and who is not vaccinated; however, Barnard faculty, staff, and students will not be allowed on campus unless they have met the vaccine requirement or have received a religious or medical exemption. Unvaccinated members of the community will be informed of the additional precautions that they will be required to follow, which include increased testing, required masking and other requirements.
Additionally, per CDC guidance, unvaccinated community members who have a COVID-19 exposure will have to quarantine for 10 days.